said his father heard Whitmer tell Bro. Stevenson that he had not left the church, but it had left him.2 

A prolific writer, Stevenson recorded details of each visit with the witnesses and often bore testimony of how all three had been faithful to their testimony. 

In his 1878 visit Stevenson bore his testimony to Whitmer and invited him to gather to Zion in Utah and offered his assistance in helping him do that. “Brother (Hyrum) Clark also made the same proposition and said, ‘Take our names’ and he (David Whitmer) observed, ‘I have his name’ alluding to me.”3 

Of the visit it would later be written. “Elder Stevenson said of David Whitmer, in 1886, after recounting previous testimonies he had listened to from him: ‘David Whitmer is now just past eighty-one years of age. In this his last testimony he said to me: ‘As sure as the sun shines and I live, just so sure did the angel appear to me and Joseph Smith, and I heard his voice, and did see the angel standing before us, and on a table were the plates, the sword of Laban and the ball or compass.’” 4 

Bro. Stevenson, who served in the Council of 70, also visited a number of times with Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris and is credited with raising money to help Martin Harris move west, where he (Harris) was re-baptized into the church by Elder Stevenson on Sept. 17, 1870 and confirmed by Orson Pratt the same day.5 

Written By Antone Clark 

June 2001 

Some Testimonies of the Book of Mormon as Gathered by Heber D. Clark2 

Stevenson, private journal, Dec. 23, 1877, VII, pg. 153 LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol 1, page 2694 JH Sept. 17, 1870 5 

68